Pakistan Head to the Polls

Pakistani election staff set up a polling station for the parliamentary election, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. As Pakistan prepares to make history Wednesday by electing a third straight civilian government, rights activists, analysts and candidates say the campaign has been among its dirtiest ever, imperiling the country's wobbly transition to democratic rule.

Pakistan’s voters will participate in a general election happening tomorrow, July 25, 2018. There are a total of 122 candidates in the election with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N party - and former cricketer Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in the lead. The military and Pakistani authorities play an important role in the outcome of election results. Sharif’s party has accused the military of attempting to sway the results of the election in favor of Khan’s party. There have also been reported attacks on journalists and activists for speaking against the military, limiting independent voice and preventing a fair election. To discuss the corruption and issues around the election, we are joined by Aqil Shah, assistant professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Oklahoma and non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s South Asia program. He’s author of the book “The Army and Democracy: Military Politics in Pakistan”